1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to vehicle seats having a tilt back that is released from a locked position by a handle on the side of the seat and more particularly to an improved means of connecting the handle to the tilt lock/release shaft of the tilt mechanism.
2. Background Information
Seat recliner mechanisms frequently fail because the shaft that projects from the tilt mechanism and to which the handle is directly attached breaks. The shaft is spring biased to a locking position and without the handle one cannot release the latch to change the tilt of the seat back. When such failure occurs the practice has been to replace the entire recliner mechanism inside the seat as well as the handle that attaches directly thereto. The repair is costly and requires about two hours of labor to install. Also the replacement used is a manufacturer's original equipment part, or similar substitute therefor, and thus is likely to fail again for the same reason as the first i.e. a faulty design.